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The adrenal glands are glands above your kidneys that produce hormones. These hormones regulate your stress response, metabolism, and immune system just to name a few functions. Many people believe that when they’re stressed, the stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released in the brain, but it is actually released here through these glands. If you have been under extreme stress lately, depression, trauma, or PTSD then your adrenal glands might be working in over drive or even become fatigued over long term stress leaving you feeling exhausted, drained, unable to sleep, and even sick.
I’m not a doctor and I am in no way professionally able to give out advice, but I suffered from extreme adrenal fatigue after years of emotional abuse, gaslighting, and manipulation from a family member compounded with past trauma. The constant fear, worry, and sadness put my mind and body completely out of wack. Through therapy and going no contact with this abusive person, I was able to slowly start the healing process, but my adrenal glands had suffered greatly and the impact slowed my body’s healing process. Your body holds a lot of your tension and bad feelings long after they are gone, like a muscle memory.
If you are suffering from stress or trauma of any kind, I recommend speaking with a doctor and a therapist first. Give yourself the love you need by seeking the help of a professional. To supplement the healing of your mind and body, I recommend a few of these things that have helped me.
Long after I was removed from the toxic and emotionally destructive situation I still felt constant fatigue and bought of sadness. My body and mind had suffered immensely. I had lost patches of hair, was more prone to illness, and had difficulty with insomnia. My mornings dragged on. I suffered from jaw clenching and jaw pain, shoulder and neck pain, and digestive problems. My mood was out of balance and I had a shorter fuse. I had anxiety attacks, weight gain, and my allergies were worse than ever. Adrenal fatigue can cause so much more damage because it throws our entire immune system out of balance. So we know what causes it, but how do we heal it? We often try to heal the symptoms, but we truly need to heal the adrenal glands to heal everything for good.
These are the ten steps I use:
One. Listen to your body. It is trying to tell you something. Pay attention to the way that you feel, especially the way that you feel around certain people and places. Your intuition knows best. So much of the mental and even physical damage I sustained from my stress was by ignoring my own discomfort and pain around an abusive person because I so much wanted to “do the right thing” and belong. I made excuses for the way I was being treated because I didn’t want to believe what was happening was being caused by someone that I loved. Learning how to listen to your intuition can prevent you from getting into toxic situations again. Trust yourself.
Trusting your body also means listening to your cravings. Just like listening to your body is important, listening to your cravings is too. Did you know that salt cravings are usually associated with stress and low sodium levels? When our adrenal glands are fatigued, our body ends up with not enough sodium. If you have found yourself craving salty foods and snacks it is your body’s way of trying to get more to fix the imbalance. As always, everything in moderation, but feed those cravings. You may also be craving more rest or quiet time. Listen to your body.
Two. Exercise. Your body needs to move. Exercise reduces stress and builds strength.
Three. Eat three meals a day. I know, maybe you’re not hungry in the morning because you’re tired or stressed. But this throws your entire system off. Give yourself three healthy meals a day and you will see your body begin to heal itself. You need to nourish your body to heal it.
Four. Avoid processed foods and snacks. Anything that is hard on the body to process, especially sugars, should be limited to give your body time to heal. Eat the foods that make you feel good after. Notice how you feel after eating certain foods and stick to those ones.
Five. Calm your nervous system, calm your mind. Daily mediation is one of the best ways to do this. If you’re not ready to meditate every day, meditative activities such as going for a walk or bike ride, running, doing yoga, or an activity like a puzzle, reading, or coloring can lower your stress levels and calm your body and mind. You need to slow down your body’s stress response at least once a day so that it may heal and rest. You can also get much needed calm through massage and self-massage like gua sha facials.
Six. Spend time outside. Getting sunlight and fresh air is essential for your wellbeing, especially during the winter. You may want to supplement with D3 supplements or even a sun lamp during low light times of the year.
Seven. Stressed bodies are also deficient in magnesium. Taking magnesium supplements can help and so can relaxing salt baths. Our bodies can absorb the magnesium from epson salt baths.
Eight. Your body does most of its repairing and healing during sleep. Make sure to get plenty of rest by creating a healthy bed time routine and going to sleep early.
Nine. Hydrate. Drinking plenty of water ensures your best body and mind functioning.
Ten. When I felt at my worst, natural supplements aided in my recovery and helped me find pockets of calm. Vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin D3 helped my body become more resilient. I managed stress with L-theanine, a natural amino acid from green tea in a pill form. Antioxidant rich foods were vital for my wellbeing during this time and healing for my body. Natural stress supplements such as ashawaganda, lemon Balm, and curcumin aided my healing journey. Boosting my immune system with echinacea and elderberry kept me healthy. I used tea to relax; chamomile, peppermint, lavender, and green tea. I also added Maine Medicinals Relax and Restore alcohol free tincture to my tea (20 drops) in the morning and a teaspoon of Maine Medicinals Cleanse and Fortify tonic to my tea in the evening.
Most of all, remember that this process takes time. The healing journey does not happen overnight. It took many weeks, months, and years to weaken our adrenal glands to the point of fatigue and it can take many months to heal. It can take as long as a year. Yet the healing journey is worth the effort. By the end of your first six months you should be feeling back to yourself again. You will notice your energy returning and your wellbeing improve. You will be less prone to illness and happier in the morning. Your sleep should resume and you will find yourself more resilient. Most of all, you will realize how strong you truly are. You will discover that you have the power to heal yourself and heal your life.
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